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Superorder SYNCARIDA Packard, 1885

Compiler and date details

2011 - Gary C.B. Poore, P.S. Lake & Helen M. Lew Ton

Introduction

The Syncarida comprise two orders with modern representatives and one known only as fossils. They appear to represent the most primitive eumalacostracans. Unlike most crustacean groups there are few marine representatives, all live in freshwater environments. Many anaspidaceans live in lakes or streams or even in crayfish burrows. Others, especially bathynellaceans, are interstitial or live in ground water. With the exception of some stygocaridids, all Anaspidacea are confined to south-eastern Australia. Bathynellacea are far more widespread. Horwitz (1990) pointed out the conservation significance of syncarids in Australia and Humphreys (2008) discussed biodiversity and endemism of bathynellaceans in particular.

Schminke (1982) diagnosed the Syncarida. Lopretto & Morrone (1998) analysed the biogeography of South American syncarids and naturally related them to the Australian fauna. Schram (1986) discussed many aspects of the biology of syncarids in three chapters, Anaspidacea, Palaeocaridacea (fossils) and Bathynellacea. All 80 genera were listed by Coineau (1996) and a shorter list of 57 extant genera by Lopretto & Morrone (1998) but these figures have increased significantly recently, particularly with the discovery of numerous Australian parabathynellids (Comacho 2006; Camacho & Valdecasas 2008).

Horwitz, P. 1990. The conservation status of Australian freshwater Crustacea with a provisional list of threatened species, habitats and potentially threatened processes.Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service Report Series14: 1-121

Humphreys, W.F. 2008. Rising from Down Under: developments in subterranean biodiversity in Australia from a groundwater fauna perspective.Invertebrate Systematics22: 85-101